REU Site: Wireless Communications for Rural and Remote Areas

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This three year renewal REU site program at Montana State University (MSU)will provide research experiences for ten undergraduate students. The objectives of the ten week summer program are: 1) to expose undergraduate students to real-world, innovative and interdisciplinary research focused on wireless communications in rural and remote areas; 2) to encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate degrees and careers in engineering; and 3) to develop research skills and improve communication and collaborative skills. To assist in the growth of the undergraduate students each participant will be paired with both a faculty advisor and graduate student research mentor. During the ten week program, students will work on their individual research projects in conjunction with participation in the MATLAB mini-course, workshops and seminars. They will also have opportunities to explore the Bozeman region during scheduled field trips and to participate in social activities with MSU staff and students in the other campus summer undergraduate programs. At the end of the ten weeks, each REU student will be required to submit a written report on his/her research. Students will also present their project results at an on-campus joint poster symposium held in conjuction with other REU programs on the MSU campus. At the symposium students will showcase their results to a few hundred faculty members, research staff, graduate students, other undergraduates, administrator, industry sponsors and other representative. Some excellent final papers will be selected and submitted to major conferences or to major journals for publication.The broader impacts of this REU Site arise from the participation of undergraduate students who are underrepresented minorities in engineering and science. Recruitment efforts will focus on American Indian students, students from regional tribal colleges, and students from Montana colleges and non-intensive colleges from other rural areas with limited resources, as well as women engineering students. The REU program will also engage with the 20-30 high school students who will be on campus doing research through Montana's Apprenticeship Program (MAP). These students come from high schools on Montana's seven American Indian reservations, and they spend 6 weeks at MSU working in research labs. The goal in linking the MAP and the REU program is to show the American Indian high school students what they can expect from a college electrical and computer engineering course and to show them that they can do well in such a course and encourage them to pursue college education.